System and method for displaying an article

ABSTRACT

A display system and method for displaying a clothing accessory in which the system includes a support member with a generally planar base frame. An elongated support arm extends outwardly from a forward portion of the base frame. The base frame may be positioned, at least partially, within an interior portion of the clothing accessory while the support arm is positioned to extend outwardly from an opening in a facial portion of the clothing accessory. A free end portion of the support arm may be coupled with a display structure so that the support member and the clothing accessory depend from the display structure. A free end portion of a secondary arm, which extends outwardly from a rearward portion of the base frame, may be positioned to extend outwardly from a rear opening in a rearward portion of the clothing accessory.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

The invention claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/992,068 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING AN ARTICLE by COBY R. ROWE, PAOLO DELLA BORDELLA, and JAIME DARETTA, filed on Dec. 3, 2007, which Provisional Patent Application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Clothing accessories, such as hats and masks have been previously used for a variety of purposes that have included fashion, temperature control, and protection from the elements. Some clothing accessories have been provided to cover the top of a user's head, while others have been provided to also cover portions of the user's face or neck. Applicants' co-pending patent application, entitled “Hood and Method of Use”, which is incorporated herein by reference and attached hereto as Attachment A, disclosed such a clothing accessory. One aspect of that clothing accessory provided a body portion with an upper end portion, a lower end portion, a forward portion and a rearward portion. The lower end portion of the body was provided with a neck hole that was shaped and sized to permit the user to pass the user's head through the opening and into an interior portion of the body. In one aspect, the forward portion of the body was provided with at least one eye hole that was positioned to expose the eyes of the user when the clothing accessory was positioned in a use position on the user's head. In another aspect, the rearward portion of the body was provided with a rear opening that was shaped and sized to permit the user's head to pass through the rear opening, from within the interior portion of the body, which provided unique and easy access to the user's head without removing the clothing accessory.

Clothing accessories, such as the applicants' hood, have provided unique challenges to merchants after the clothing accessories have been constructed. For example, such clothing accessories have typically been shipped, stacked on top of one another in voluminous containers. Merchants have had to remove the clothing accessories and attempt to display them in a manner that made the clothing accessories desirable to potential purchasers. However, efforts that included stacking the clothing accessories on shelves failed to present the clothing accessories to the purchasers in a manner that enabled the potential purchasers to view the front, rear or side profiles of the clothing accessories without handling the clothing accessories. This has had the effect of hiding the clothing accessories' unique structural and aesthetic designs.

Other attempts to display such clothing accessories have included the use of mannequins to “wear” the clothing accessories. However, such display methods have presented their own deficiencies. For example, mannequins have been impractical for presenting many different designs and styles of clothing accessories simultaneously. To be sure, a large valuable display area would have been required to display several mannequins wearing such clothing accessories. Moreover, the merchants have had to unpack the clothing accessories from the shipping containers and wrestle with putting the clothing accessories on the mannequins. This has only preceded the merchants' efforts in posing the mannequins in what has typically amounted in a less-than-suitable display. Another deficiency in these display methods has been the fact that potential purchasers have either had to remove the clothing accessory from the mannequin or search through bins or shelves of clothing accessories for one or more clothing accessories that matched the desired product worn by the mannequin. Such added effort on the part of potential purchasers has had the effect of discouraging potential purchases.

Display systems for clothing accessories have not been easily matched with the clothing accessories at the point of manufacture, prior to shipping to the merchants. For example, display systems, such as mannequins and their individual components, have provided a three dimensional shape that may have benefited some display settings but have otherwise been inappropriate for use in shipping articles. Added bulk and weight have further prevented practical attempts at shipping clothing accessories while they were mated with their display systems. Moreover, many such display systems have proven costly for use with each of a large quantity of clothing accessories. This has further mounted the costs against manufacturers in presenting clothing accessories to merchants on desirable display systems, ready for display from the point of manufacture.

The manufacturing costs and complexities have hampered attempts at providing effective display systems that could have been used with each of literally hundreds or thousands of clothing accessories destined for merchants. Mannequins and even conventional hangers have presented molding and material costs that have raised the ultimate costs of the clothing accessories, limited profits, or both, to unacceptable levels. Such display systems have been typically purchased and shipped from third party specialty manufacturers at significant expense.

Even where complex, expensive or impractical display systems have been used, they have not presented secondary structures to direct potential purchasers' attentions to novel design characteristics. While labels may have indicated one or more features embodied by the clothing accessory to which it was attached, such labels may not have provided an actual demonstration of a unique design feature, let alone drawn the potential purchaser's attention to such features. One reason for this fact has been that labels have been relatively small and secured to the clothing accessories in discrete locations. For example, many such labels have been secured within the clothing accessory and attached to garment tags intended to remain affixed with the clothing accessory. Such labeling practices have not provided an added excitement or attention-grabbing quality to the clothing accessories they have displayed.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary, and the foregoing Background, is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

A system and method are provided for displaying a clothing accessory worn on the head of a user. The system includes a support member with a generally planar base frame, having first and second opposing surfaces and a peripheral edge portion. In one aspect, the support member may include an elongated, generally planar support arm, having a first end portion coupled with the base frame and a free second end portion that extends away from the base frame at an angle with respect to the first surface of the base frame. In another aspect, an elongated, generally planar, secondary arm may be associated with the base frame. A first end portion of the secondary arm may be coupled with the base frame and a free second end portion may be provided to extend away from the base frame at an angle with respect to the second surface of the base frame. The design presents the ability to inexpensively mass produce the system in various methods from a wide variety of inexpensive materials. The planar nature of the structural components permits large quantities of the support members to be stored or shipped while consuming relatively small amounts of space.

The base frame of the support member may be placed in a use position at least partially within an interior portion of the clothing accessory. The support arm of the support member may then be positioned to extend outwardly from an opening in a facial portion of the clothing accessory. In this manner, the clothing accessory may be coupled with the support member at a point of manufacture and placed in a flat orientation within a container for shipping. Thus, convenient shipping of the clothing accessories and display systems may be provided without significantly increasing shipping weight or bulk, which will ultimately reduce relative shipping costs.

In one aspect, the free second end portion of the support arm may be coupled with a display structure so that the support member and the clothing accessory depend from the display structure. Accordingly, once at a merchant's location, the clothing accessories may be easily removed from the shipping containers and quickly supported on display racks of nearly any type and configuration. In this manner, the merchants do not have to waste time and valuable space arranging bulky displays.

In at least one embodiment, the peripheral edge portion of the base frame may be shaped and sized to approximate a vertical cross-section of the clothing accessory. In this manner, the facial portion of the clothing accessory may be positioned to face away from the first surface of the base frame. Accordingly, potential purchases are presented with important features of the clothing accessories with only a casual glance. In another aspect, printed information, relative to the clothing accessory, may be disposed on the support arm so that the printed information is exposed when the clothing accessory is placed in its use position on the support member and the support arm extends outwardly from the opening in the facial portion of the clothing accessory. Another method of use positions the secondary arm of the support member to extend outwardly from a rear opening in a rearward portion of the clothing accessory. Printed information, relative to the clothing accessory, may be provided on the secondary arm so that the printed information is exposed when the clothing accessory is disposed in the use position and the secondary arm extends outwardly from the rear opening in the rearward portion of the clothing accessory. In these aspects, the user is presented with demonstrations of the clothing accessory's unique value with a casual glance. Relevant information can be provided in plain view, without the need to have the potential purchaser turn the clothing accessory inside out. In the end, the purchaser need only see the clothing accessory and quickly disengage the support arm from the display system on the way to a point of purchase.

These and other aspects of the present system and method will be apparent after consideration of the Detailed Description and Figures herein. It is to be understood, however, that the scope of the invention shall be determined by the claims as issued and not by whether given subject matter addresses any or all issues noted in the Background or includes any features or aspects recited in this Summary.

DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention, including the preferred embodiment, are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 depicts a front, elevation view of one embodiment of the display member.

FIG. 2 depicts a side perspective view of the display member depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts a front elevation view of one embodiment of the display system and demonstrates one manner in which the display member may be used to support and display a clothing accessory.

FIG. 4 depicts a rear elevation view of the display member of FIG. 3 and demonstrates another manner in which the display member may be used to support and display a clothing accessory.

FIG. 5 depicts a side elevation view of the display member of FIG. 3 and demonstrates another manner in which the display member may be used to support and display a clothing accessory.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying figures, which form a part hereof and show by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the technology. However, embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

With reference to FIG. 1, a support member 10 is provided for use with one or more various clothing accessories. In one aspect, the support member 10 is formed to have a generally planar base frame 12, having a first surface 14, a second opposing surface 16, and a peripheral edge portion 18. The support member 10 may be formed as a relatively thin, two dimensional sheet of various shapes. In at least one embodiment, the peripheral edge portion 18 is formed to provide the base frame with a shape and size approximating a vertical cross-section of the clothing accessory with which the support member 10 is to be used. In some embodiments, that shape may be generally elliptical, oval, circular, triangular, square, rectangular, or resemble other polygonal shapes.

An elongated, generally planar support arm 20 may be associated with the base frame 12. The support arm 20 may be formed to have a first end portion 22 that is coupled with the base frame 12. In one aspect, the support arm 20 may extend from the peripheral edge portion 18 of the base frame 12 and may be secured thereto with conventional fastening methods appropriate for the materials selected to construct the support member 10. In another aspect, the base frame 12 and the support arm 20 may be formed in a unitary construction. A free, second end portion 24 may be provided to extend away from the base frame 12 at an angle with respect to the first surface 14 of the base frame 12. Where the base frame 12 and the support arm 20 are formed in a unitary construction manner, the first end portion 22 of the support arm 20 may couple with the base frame 12 at a hinge or other form of bend or crease in the material used to form the base frame 12 and the support arm 20. In such embodiments, the support arm 20 may be formed by making two elongated cuts from the peripheral edge portion 18 to a point nearing a midpoint of the base frame 12. In this manner, a portion of the peripheral edge portion of the base frame 12 will define the shape of the free second end portion 24 of the support arm. It is contemplated, however, that the support arm 20 may be formed by making the two elongated cute entirely within the base frame 12 so that they do not sever the peripheral edge portion 18. Where such methodology is used, the distal and of the two elongated cuts may be connected by a transverse cut, which will define the free second end portion 24 of the support arm 20.

In at least one embodiment, the support member 10 may be provided with an elongated, generally planar, secondary arm 26, having a first end portion 28 coupled with the base frame 12 in much the same manner as described herein with respect to the first end portion 22 of the support arm 20. As such, it is contemplated that the base frame 12 and the secondary arm 26 may be formed from one or more pieces of material in a unitary or joined fashion as described previously with respect to the support arm 20. A free second end portion 30 of the secondary arm 26 may be provided to extend away from the base frame 12 at an angle with respect to the second surface 16 of the base frame 12. However, depending on its intended use, the secondary arm could be provided in a wide array of shapes and sizes and positioned to extend from nearly any location on the base frame 12 and in, generally, any orientation with respect thereto.

The base frame 12, support arm 20 and secondary arm 26 may be formed from nearly any material suitable for its intended uses, such as supporting and displaying clothing accessories. For example, a multitude of heavy bond paper products, cardboards, or plastics may be used. Such materials are relatively inexpensive and are readily available. Moreover, such materials afford the ability to make the support member 10 as a disposable unit. However, other materials, including various woods, metals, and the like could be used to form more durable units that provide an extended usable life. In either respect, however, the design of the support member 10 lends itself to various known die-cutting and mold-forming construction methods, which may further enable the present system to be mass produced, quickly and inexpensively.

It is contemplated that the support member 10 could be used with a wide array of products and clothing accessories. In one example, the support member 10 may be used with clothing accessories that may be worn about the head and neck areas of a user. With reference to FIGS. 3-5, a clothing accessory 110 may be supported and displayed by the support member 10.

The exemplary clothing accessory 110 may be formed to have a body 112, having an upper end portion 114, a lower end portion 116, a forward portion 118 and a rearward portion 120. The lower end portion 116 may be formed to have a neck hole 122 that is shaped and sized to permit the user to pass the user's head through the neck hole 122 and into an interior portion 124 of the body 112. In this manner, the clothing accessory 110 may be formed from one or more panels of material to provide a structure with a long, cross-sectional shape that is generally elliptical, oval, circular, triangular, square, rectangular, or resemble other polygonal shapes. The forward portion 118 of the body portion 112 in this clothing accessory 110 may be provided with an eye hole 126 that is positioned to expose the eyes of the user when the clothing accessory 110 is positioned in a first use position on the user's head.

In at least one method of use, the base frame 12 of the support member 10 may be positioned in a use position, at least partially, within the interior portion 124 of the clothing accessory 110. Accordingly, where the peripheral edge portion 18 of the base frame 12 is shaped and sized to approximate a vertical cross-section of the clothing accessory 110, the facial or forward portion 118 of the clothing accessory 110 may be positioned to face away from the first surface 14 of the base frame 12. In one aspect, gravity assists in draping the clothing accessory 110 in a display position about the support member 10 that exhibits one or more features and aspects of the clothing accessory. With reference to FIG. 3, such an orientation of the support member 10 with respect to the clothing accessory 110 may provide a full presentation of the forward portion 118 of the clothing accessory 110 to potential purchasers.

With reference to FIG. 2, the support arm 20 of the support member 12 may be provided to extend outwardly from an opening in a facial or forward portion 118 of the clothing accessory 110. In one aspect, the second end portion 24 of the support arm 20 may extend freely from an eye hole 126 of the clothing accessory 110. In this manner, an aperture 32 may be formed through the support arm 20 to receive a hook or other form of support depending from a display structure 34. In some embodiments, the aperture 32 may formed to be generally elongate and curved along its length. In various embodiments, a peripheral edge portion of the aperture 32 may be closed, defining a continuous edge while in other embodiments a portion of the peripheral edge of the aperture 32 may be open along the peripheral edge of the support arm 20. It is contemplated that the display structure 34 may be provided in a wide array of known wall-mounded, floor standing and shelf or counter supported designs. It is further contemplated that the aperture 32 may prove unnecessary where clips, hook and loop fasteners, adhesives, and the like are associated with the display system 34 for removably engaging the support arm 20 and supporting the clothing accessory 110.

In another aspect, printed information, such as use instructions and descriptions of features relative to the clothing accessory 110, may be disposed along the support arm 20 so that the printed information is exposed when the clothing accessory 110 is in its use position and the support arm 20 extends outwardly from the opening 126 in the facial or forward portion 118 of the clothing accessory 110.

A wide variety of goods and clothing accessories may be supported and displayed using the support member 10. As such, it is contemplated that many such goods and clothing accessories will have one or more unique features that will be of interest to potential purchasers. For example, the rearward portion 120 of the clothing accessory 110 may be provided with a rear opening 130 that is shaped and sized to permit the user's head to pass through the rear opening 130 from within the interior portion 124 of the body portion 112 without completely removing the clothing accessory 110. In at least one contemplated embodiment, the secondary arm 26 of the support member 10 may be provided to extend outwardly from an opening in the clothing accessory 110, such as the rear opening 130 in the rearward portion 120 of the clothing accessory 110. This can provide a convenient manner in which to demonstrate a feature of the clothing accessory 110 or otherwise bring it to the potential purchaser's attention with nothing more than a quick glance. It is further contemplated that various printed information, relative to the clothing accessory and its various features, may be disposed along the secondary arm 26 so that the printed information is exposed to the view of potential purchasers when the clothing accessory 110 is in its use position and the secondary arm 26 extends outwardly from the rear opening 130 in the rearward portion 120 of the clothing accessory 110.

The support member 10 and the flexibility of its design permits it to be easily mated with clothing accessories at a point of manufacture and packed in a flat orientation within a shipping container. The flat orientation, combined with the use of relatively light weight materials, may provide for little relative increase in shipping bulk and weight when shipping clothing accessories. Once at the point of sale, a merchant may simply open the shipping container and couple the support arm 20 of each support member 10 with the merchant's existing display structures 34. The clothing accessories may be displayed by the support member 10 in a manner that enables potential purchasers to quickly view and understand the designs and features associated with the clothing accessory 110. The design of the support member 10 further affords the potential purchaser the ability to quickly and easily select desired clothing accessories 110 and make one or more purchases.

Although the system has been described in language that is specific to certain structures, materials, and methodological steps, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures, materials, and/or steps described. Rather, the specific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing the claimed invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended. Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers or expressions, such as those expressing dimensions, physical characteristics, etc. used in the specification (other than the claims) are understood as modified in all instances by the term “approximately.” At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the claims, each numerical parameter recited in the specification or claims which is modified by the term “approximately” should at least be construed in light of the number of recited significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Moreover, all ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass and provide support for claims that recite any and all subranges or any and all individual values subsumed therein. For example, a stated range of 1 to 10 should be considered to include and provide support for claims that recite any and all subranges or individual values that are between and/or inclusive of the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, all subranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more and ending with a maximum value of 10 or less (e.g., 5.5 to 10, 2.34 to 3.56, and so forth) or any values from 1 to 10 (e.g., 3, 5.8, 9.9994, and so forth). Expressions such as “up,” “down,”, “upper,” “lower,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “left,” “right,” and the like are used, where applicable, to provide some clarity of description when dealing with relative relationships but these terms are not intended to imply absolute relationships, positions, and/or orientations. For example, with respect to an object, an “upper” surface can become a “lower” surface simply by turning the object over. Nevertheless, it is still the same object. 

1. A method for displaying a clothing accessory worn on the head of a user, the method comprising: providing a support member comprising: a generally planar base frame, having first and second opposing surfaces and a peripheral edge portion; and an elongated support arm having a first end portion coupled with the base frame and a free second end portion that extends away from the base frame at an angle with respect to the first surface of the base frame; positioning the base frame of the support member in a use position at least partially within an interior portion of the clothing accessory; positioning the support arm of the support member to extend outwardly from an opening in a facial portion of the clothing accessory; and operatively coupling the free second end portion of the support arm from a display structure, whereby the support member and the clothing accessory depend from the display structure.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing the peripheral edge portion of the base frame in a shape that approximates a vertical, cross-sectional shape of the clothing accessory; positioning the clothing accessory on the base frame in a manner that orients the facial portion of the clothing accessory to face away from the first surface of the base frame.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing printed information, relative to the clothing accessory, on the support arm so that the printed information is exposed when the clothing accessory is in the use position and the support arm extends outwardly from the opening in the facial portion of the clothing accessory.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the printed information on the support arm presents features of the clothing accessory.
 6. The method of claim 4 wherein the printed information on the support arm presents methods of using the clothing accessory.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing an elongated secondary arm having a first end portion coupled with the base frame and a free second end portion that extends away from the base frame at an angle with respect to the second surface of the base frame; and positioning the secondary arm of the support member to extend outwardly from a rear opening in a rearward portion of the clothing accessory.
 8. The method of claim 7 further comprising: providing printed information, relative to the clothing accessory, on the secondary arm so that the printed information is exposed when the clothing accessory is in the use position and the secondary arm extends outwardly from the rear opening in the rearward portion of the clothing accessory.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the printed information on the secondary arm presents features of the clothing accessory.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the printed information on the secondary arm presents methods of using the rear opening in the rearward portion of the clothing accessory.
 11. The method of claim 1 further comprising: prior to coupling the support arm with a display structure, placing a plurality of support members, positioned at least partially within a plurality of clothing accessories, within a shipping container a generally flat orientation with respect to one another.
 12. In combination: a clothing accessory having an interior portion and a plurality of openings that penetrate the clothing accessory to the interior portion; and a support member comprising: a generally planar base frame, having first and second opposing surfaces and a peripheral edge portion; and an elongated support arm having a first end portion coupled with the base frame and a free second end portion that extends away from the base frame at an angle with respect to the first surface of the base frame; the base frame of the support member positioned at least partially within the interior portion of the clothing accessory; the support arm of the support member extending outwardly from at least one of the openings in the clothing accessory.
 13. The combination of claim 12 wherein: the support member is further comprised of an elongated secondary arm having a first end portion coupled with the base frame and a free second end portion that extends away from the base frame at an angle with respect to the second surface of the base frame; the secondary arm of the support member extending outwardly from at least one of the openings in the clothing accessory.
 14. The combination of claim 13 wherein: the support member is further comprised of printed information, relative to the clothing accessory, on at least one of the support arm and the secondary arm so that at least some printed information is not disposed within the interior portion of the clothing accessory.
 15. The combination of claim 14 wherein: the printed information on the support member presents at least one of: (i) features of the clothing accessory; and (ii) methods of using the clothing accessory.
 16. The combination of claim 13 wherein: the support member extends from an opening in a forward portion of the clothing accessory and the secondary arm extends from a rearward portion of the clothing accessory. 